Looking at potential future foes

LOS ANGELES - The Lakers are locked into their position as the No. 1 seed for the upcoming Western Conference playoffs.

But the race to see who will be the eighth seed and the Lakers' first-round opponent remains undecided.

Lakers coach Phil Jackson believes that it likely will come down to between the Utah Jazz and the Dallas Mavericks, and has assigned advance scout Rasheed Hazzard to compile concise updated reports on both teams.

Hazzard also serve as an assistant coach for the Lakers' D-League affiliate Los Angeles D-Fenders. He is the son of former UCLA All-America guard and NBA player Walt Hazzard.

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